Getting Your Ticket
“Write what you know” is reasonable advice, to bring realism to fiction and avoid “gimme a break” moments which pull readers out of a story. Thus, when I had a chance to do another All American Boy story, I jumped at it. Since each must have “Boy” in the title and there have been a lot of stories, Fly Boy seemed a natural choice, to write about a pilot.
This is a picture of my Private Pilot License (PPL), which also goes by the name of Airman’s Certificate. To obtain this certification, one must get a medical certificate by an FAA-approved medical examiner, get a Student Pilot Certificate, and do “ground school” flight training, learning about the physics, procedures, regulations, airspace, etc. After passing a written test, a student goes on to actual flight training.
In some locations, much of this is done in flight simulators, though I only logged an hour in one, instead flying a Piper Warrior. These have dual controls, and the CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) sits in the right seat, ready to step in if needed. There are certain requirements (hours, number of takeoffs and landings, distances, solo flights, etc) for signing off on a student’s competence but the CFI has great discretion.
A student might have an idea when they’ll go for their first solo, but sometimes it’s sprung on them (see my earlier blog post with the pic of the shirt being cut off my back, and also the one of my chart for my first long solo flight, which I laminated onto a coffee table). A student practices emergency procedures, does some instrument practice, some night flying, maneuvers for precision, and longer solo trips.
Finally, it’s time for the “checkride.” A certified examiner will ride with the student to a location provided the night before (this is to assess a student’s prep, which should include regional and airport hazards, the weather, airport layout, etc.). He or she watches the student’s preflight, ground procedures, and flight safety. They will ask for certain maneuvers (“Do a steep turn to the right” or “perform an engine-out landing”—for this one, they won’t have the pilot actually land in a field, just come close) and that will include being blindfolded while the examiner gradually nudge the airplane into an unsafe situation, like a dive, to see how the student does when the blindfold is removed.
Once a student passes, they get a temporary certificate and the PPL arrives in the mail. The zombie-looking figure in the picture is one of the Wright brothers, and on the back it has both Orville and Wilbur. A private pilot cannot carry passengers for hire, but can fly day or night, in all airspace, at whatever altitudes their plane can handle.
How long does it take and how much does it cost? The average is reportedly $10,000 and three months, but that can be decreased with study ahead of time and flight simulators, as well as regular flying to stay in practice. There are places that specialize in turning out new pilots within 3 weeks. One can pursue advanced certifications, like an Instrument Rating, a Multi-Engine Rating, a CFI certificate, or a Commercial Pilot license, all of which require more time. Spending 99 cents and a few hours with Fly Boy might seem like a bargain compared to that!
There are other certifications that are attractive because they take less hours or don’t require a medical certificate. A Sport Pilot license takes only 20 hours and doesn’t require a medical certificate. However, the limitations are that one must fly slower single-engine planes with lower horsepower, stay below 10,000 feet, fly only in the daytime, carry only one passenger, and avoid busier airspace. A Recreational Pilot license takes 30 hours but allows one to fly heavier, faster planes, though they are restricted to within 50 miles of their home airport—still good enough to get that “hundred-dollar hamburger.”
I hope you’ll enjoy your armchair flights with Tricia and Tavis in Fly Boy!
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